Steve Lippia conjures Sinatra for Erie Phil Pops

See It

"Simply Sinatra," performed by Steve Lippia and the Erie Philharmonic, is Saturday, 8 p.m., at the Warner Theatre, 811 State St. Tickets are $20-$55. For details or to purchase your tickets, call 455-1375 or visit www.eriephil.org.

His show is titled "Simply Sinatra," but Steve Lippia isn't a simple Sinatra impersonator, tribute artist or Rat Pack wannabe.

He considers himself an interpreter -- an artist in the tradition of others, such as Michael Buble and Harry Connick Jr., who keep standards alive for new generations. His Saturday show with the Erie Philharmonic Pops will focus on Sinatra, but -- with other orchestras and on other stages -- he has covered Tony Bennett, Vic Damone and Nat King Cole, among others.

"I'm a singer who covers a lot of different music by a lot of different known artists," Lippia said by phone from his home base in Las Vegas. "This particular show is going to be a celebration of the music of Frank Sinatra and his musical legacy. He has a huge body of music, about 1,500 recordings to draw from. So, there is no problem finding good material. He was always wise in his choice of composers that he worked with. And the arrangements of these songs are faithful transcriptions from the originals by guys like Nelson Riddle and Billy May and Marty Paich and Don Costa."

Lippia does share a direct Sinatra link, however. Early in his career, Vincent Falcone -- one of Sinatra's music directors -- took him under his wing and helped Lippia establish himself in Las Vegas. That's a valuable guy to have in your corner.

"He was in this very, very small circle, very close to the man, and really grew to respect him and enjoy the chance of a lifetime to work with one of the great pop artists that ever was," Lippia said. "He so loved that music and still does. I think, on some level, he tried to recapture the phrasing and the great arrangements and great music that it was, through me and some other artists he worked with."

With Falcone as his music director and conductor, Lippia debuted with a 21-piece orchestra at the Rio and a career was born. He said Falcone stressed the importance of delivering songs in a heartfelt way that audiences can feel.

"He talked to me about the need to invest myself, especially in the ballads. That you're telling a story and if you're going to deliver on this, to not try to be like Sinatra but be a good interpreter of the lyrics," he said. "Which Sinatra was famous for. You have to tell the story in a way that touches people. It has to be dramatic. Not over the top, but it needs to convey the message in a way that's personal and in the moment and very real."

Once he understood that, Lippia's career took off. He's performed with orchestras and big bands in 47 states, as well as in Europe and Latin America.

"When I first met Vincent, I thought I was a pretty capable singer. But I realized there's always that next level and layer that reveals itself," Lippia said. "You're always evolving and trying to rise to that next level. He showed me the bar was considerably higher than I originally thought."

Part of evolving means staying current. Lippia doesn't live in the big-band music era; he appreciates many current artists.

"I don't sit around in a smoking jacket with a pipe, listening to '30s music," he said. "If you look at the playlist on my MP3 (player), it'd include Maroon 5 and Ben Folds and Green Day. A lot of stuff I've heard on my own and through my son, who's in his 20s and insists on keeping me somewhat relevant."

He likes Beyoncé and Lady Gaga as much as Sinatra, because they're originals. Which means in Saturday's show he'll be Steve Lippia, not Frank.

"I'm not a legends artist. I don't come in and put on a fedora and pinkie ring or look and talk like anyone else. I'm not Rich Little or the impressionist of the day. I'm a northeast Italian kid with a voice that's similar (to Sinatra's) and I borrow some phrasing from Mr. Sinatra ... But I'm not the guy who goes around trying to be someone else. I think that lends itself to much greater authenticity and audiences respond well to that."

Lippia covers Sinatra songs from the 1940s through the 1980s, from lush ballads to hard-driving swing tunes. Expect many classics on Saturday, such as "Fly Me to the Moon," "My Way" and "New York, New York." Lippia also does some more obscure material. "I focus on the obvious hits, but also some of the less obvious ones that are still musically beautiful," he said. "I sneak in a song or two that he recorded, but most people don't know; they don't do his versions. 'The Good Life' was a big hit for Tony Bennett, but Frank Sinatra recorded it, too. Few people know that, but he hardly missed any songs. It's hard to miss a standard with that body of music."